Capital Athletic Conference Championships Concludes Friday Competition

Junior Eleanor Koerner (North Potomac, Md./T.S. Wootton) swam in three events and posted three first-place wins as competition at the 18th Annual Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Men’s and Women’s Swimming Championships commenced Friday.  The championships will conclude on Sunday with the crowning of the 2008 CAC Men’s and Women’s Champions.

And perhaps for the first-time ever in the 18-year history of the CAC championships, the University of Mary Washington did not capture the 200 free or 400 medley relays as St. Mary’s took those honors with a pair of school records.

After 10 events, the St. Mary’s women are second in the team standings with 164 points.  Mary Washington, who has won all previous 17 championships, is in first with 292.  Marymount (Va.) University is third (129) followed by SalisburyUniversity (105), HoodCollege (80), York (Pa.) College (72), and GallaudetUniversity (51). 

Today’s events featured the 200 free relay, 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free, and the 400 medley relay.

The SMCM men are currently in fifth with 109.50 points.  Mary Washington, the seven-time defending champions, is in first with 268.50 followed by York in second with 160.  The rest of the team standings are as follows: Marymount (130) third, Salisbury (111) fourth, Hood (62) sixth and Gallaudet (52) seventh.

WOMEN

The Seahawks kicked off Friday night’s finals action by setting a school mark en route to capturing the 200 free relay.  The foursome of junior Brie McDowell (Doylestown, Pa./Hatboro-Horsham), sophomore Rachel Hotchko (Yakima, Wash./A.C. Davis), freshman Arielle Webster (Jarrettsville, Md./North Harford), and Koerner swam a 1:38.67 which displaced the old mark of 1:40.39 that was set by three-fourths of the quartet a year ago at the 2007 CAC Championships.

Koerner won the 50 free with her time of 24.60 which was 15-hundredths of a second off the school’s record set back in 1998 by Kim Crance (24.45).  McDowell was third in the same event (24.76), while Hotchko came in fifth in 25.11.

Three-fourths (McDowell, Hotchko, Koerner) of the winning 200 free relay squad came together to take first in the 400 medley relay with freshman Sofia Sokolove (Bethesda, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) being the new addition.  The group swam a St. Mary’s record of 4:00.08 which was also an NCAA provisional cut.  Tonight’s time replaced the mark 0f 4:04.29 set on December 1 by this foursome.

Junior Natalie Schaefer (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) was the top finisher in the 500 free as Schaefer placed ninth overall by taking first in the consolation finals with her time of 5:32.16.

In the 200 IM, freshman Sofia Sokolove (Bethesda, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase) took seventh with a time of 2:19.20.

MEN

Freshmen Gabe Grace (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Tech) and Aaron Page (Keene, N.H./Keene), senior Mike Kerr (Montclair, N.J./Montclair), and junior Michael Preston (Pasadena, Md./Cardinal Gibbons) were fourth in the 400 medley relay in 3:42.38.

Preston, freshman Jackson Webb (Leonardtown, Md./Leonardtown), junior Ben Jaskiewicz (Kensington, Md./Gonzaga), and sophomore Cam Buckingham (Silver Spring, Md./Blake) placed fifth in the 200 free relay with their time of 1:29.17.

Preston claimed sixth in the 50 free in 21.98, while junior Joey Quase (Montgomery Village, Md./Good Counsel) took ninth overall by finishing first in the consolation finals of the 500 free with his time of 4:57.64.

Buckingham was St. Mary’s top finisher in the 200 IM as he was ninth overall with his first-place finish in the consolation finals with a time of 2:02.34.